Hello, again, Blogonauts! For us on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Portuguese landscape transformed from undulating, boulder-strewn ridges to steep, terraced, vineyard-covered hillsides. We had spent the preceding two nights in a farmstead B&B in Vale Formoso, near Belmonte. The owners had acres of orchards and vineyards, and each morning we were treated to fresh fruit juice made from apples and peaches. But the farm covered a flat section of valley floor, and the surrounding hills were attractive but undramatic. Our drive from the Belmonte area to Alijo, in the Douro River valley, introduced us to remolded mountainsides, almost all terraced and covered with grape vines that support the local wine producers and cooperatives. Narrow, twisting roadways climb these hills and often run along the ridgelines, giving dramatic views toward the vine-covered slopes. And because we have arrived in the midst of the harvest season, often we see various vineyard workers cutting grapes from their vines, or trucks packed full with grapes and headed for the winery. We toured one such winery on Wednesday, a cooperative owned by more than 550 member growers. This particular winery specializes in wine made from Moscatel grapes. Several of the growers made deliveries while we watched. The wine ferments for only a few days, but the Favaios wine is both sweet and potent (17-19% alcohol). After the fermentation, it must mature in large, stainless steel holding tanks or oak barrels for several years before it is bottled and sold. Along with the vineyards, we also drove to Vila Real, where we toured the high baroque mansion, Casa de Mateus. The house and gardens were impressively well-kept. Still more to come. I haven't yet written about all the castles we've visited! Blog to you later!